Pottstown Schools and teachers agree on 3-year pact

POTTSTOWN — With a unanimous vote Thursday night, the Pottstown School Board signed off on a three-year contract with the teachers union.

The Federation of Pottstown Teachers had approved the pact earlier in the week, said School Board Solicitor Stephen Kalis.

Under the terms of the agreement, retroactive to Sept. 1, teachers will received a 1 percent raise and a “full-step increase,” on March 15, 2013.

Tuition reimbursement has been changed to provide a maximum of $3,000 for those who receive an “A;” $2,500 for those who obtain a “B” average and nothing for those who score less than a “B.”

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Perhaps most significant in the new pact is an abandonment of the fixed dollar-amount definitions of payments for medical insurance. Instead, teacher contributions to their medical insurance premiums moves to a percentage basis, with teachers paying 18 percent of whichever of the available medical plans they select.

That too begins on March 15.

Also new to the contract is a “flex spending account” for medical costs, with a cap of $2,500. That cap will be reviewed after the first year with an eye toward increasing it, Kalis told the board.

In the second year of the contract, the 2013-2014 school year, there will be an across-the-board pay freeze and all other items will remain the same.

In the 2014-2015 school year, the final year of the contract, teachers would receive a half-step increase starting in January, 2015 and a 1 percent pay hike on top of the step increase, also starting on the first day of January, 2015.

Further, the medical contribution made by the teachers will increase to 20 percent of the total premium, also starting in January, 2015.

All else remains the same.

Kalis, Acting Superintendent Jeff Sparagana and school board members thanked the federation for working with the district, and expressed relief that one of the major items on their to-do list had been successfully completed.

“This is excellent,” said school board president Judyth Zahora. “Thanks to our negotiating team and to the federation.”

Kalis said the negotiations went well, despite the tough economic times. “It’s a mutually satisfactory agreement in difficult circumstances,” he said.

“It’s one more thing off the list, and it is a big item,” said board vice president Robert Hartman after the 6-0 vote.

“Many of the teachers recognized the economic needs of the district over the economic needs of their own families,” Franklin Elementary School teacher Lindi Vollmuth told the board on behalf of the federation.

“During this contract, the teachers’ contribution to health care costs will increase about 4 percent in the first year and 6 percent in the final year,” Vollmuth said. “The teachers recognize that there are many challenges facing the district and we can now take the teachers’ contract off the list.”

About the Author

Evan Brandt has worked for The Mercury since November 1997. His beat includes Pottstown, the surrounding townships and the Pottstown and Pottsgrove school districts, as well as other varied general topics like politics, the environment and education. Reach the author at ebrandt@pottsmerc.com
or follow Evan on Twitter: @PottstownNews.